Putting out Fires

Oh man, do I have chatty things to write about today.  First of all, thank you all so much for your well-wishes on my interview!  It was yesterday and I have a really good feeling about it.  The only reason I might not get it is because I probably don’t have as much experience as some of the other people interviewing for the job.  But we’ll see.  I’d also like to thank my friend africankelli for writing me the nicest bit of encouragement, in the theme of Oscars, since that’s all we’re talking about at the beginning of this week…

“The Oscar for Best Luck on an Interview goes to Amanda N. Ms. N, wearing garb not unlike Lara Croft, has whipped her male dominated workplace into submission by proving women can add, multiply, bake and look pretty all at the same time. When she’s not slinging a camera and seeking out adventure, she’s knocking over coworkers for a much needed promotion.”

Seriously, who could hope for a better cheerleader than that??

In other news, my friend Mini was running around her house last night (as per usual, since she is a master mult-tasker) and heard a familiar voice on TV.  Turns out one of my closest friends from high school is a contestant on The Apprentice!  I just can’t even believe it.  Roxanne and I were inseparable on the swimming and debate teams for Sophomore and Junior years.  She is PERFECT for this show!  She’s this brilliant lawyer lady now, and AGAIN I’m struck with how old I am all of a sudden.  Can’t even believe it.  AND I can’t believe that this is the second time in a week that I’ve talked about someone from my past who’s on a reality TV show.  So, so weird.  Anyway, cheer for Roxanne!

So Ryan convinced me that we needed to rent this movie Reefer Madness the other day.  OK, so sometimes I don’t get excited about his picks of movie because its either a mega-violent killing fest, or it involves things that I can’t identify with.  Pot being one of them, sadly.  (because seriously, shouldn’t everyone have tried it at least once?  Yeah, I missed that train).  Anyway, we rent this thing and get it home, and it is HYSTERICAL.  It is totally worth renting and you will laugh your arss off.  It’s a musical and it is witty and smart and totally entertaining.  It’s a remake of a 1930s movie, amazingly, and it stars among other people that adorable blonde girl from Veronica Mars (so Zane, you’ll have to watch it!).  Anyway, five stars on that sucker.

Another thing that has my attention this week is a totally interesting book called “Them.  Adventures with Extremists”.  I heard the author on NPR talking about how he follows conspiracy theorists around because he thinks they’re nuts, and how toward the end of this research his eyes were really open to what’s actually going on in our world, and I knew I had to read it.  It is written like a novel, but it is all his own experiences with these people.  Famous people in the conspiracy world including the survivors of Ruby Ridge, a Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, Omar Bakri Mohammed (one of the most ‘dangerous men in Great Britain’), and others.  VERY interesting.  If you’re into reading about stuff like the Illuminati and secret pseudo sacrificial rituals being performed by the leaders of the world, this is the book for you.  I have sort of a sick fascination with stuff like that.  DaVinci Code stuff.  You know.  Anyway, good book.  I’m about halfway through and it is a great read.

And in yet other news… contrary to my post the other day about how I don’t fit the mold of an engineer, I’ve decided that I’m too much of an engineer to survive my photography class without losing a little bit of sanity.  On average the teachers arrive 5 minutes late for class, and class doesn’t actually start until 45 minutes later (they’re helping people who evidently don’t know what the USB cable that came with their camera does).  Last week it was AN HOUR AND A HALF before they started.  That is no joke.  An hour and a freaking half.  (BTW, I paid almost $300 for this class…)  Then they give these assignments and I follow them exactly, only to show up to class and find that people are turning in whatever crap they feel like turning in and we’re forced to sit there and look at it.  While the teacher praises them.  Brown gravel in people’s driveway!  That’s what I was looking at last night! 

Anyway, I’m used to structure in classes, and assignments where there is a specific outcome.  I’m having a hard time adjusting, and last night I sort of lost it a bit (slightly insanely, I’ll admit) in class about a flipping color wheel and how no one was following it.  And seriously, when they say “this assignment is to show analogous (similar) colors” I assume they mean COLORS.  If I knew that by ‘color’ they meant I could go take pictures of random black and white stuff, then I would have had a whole hell of a lot more free time this weekend.  OK, look, now I’m worked up again.  Breathe…..  But I am proud of some of the pictures I’ve taken, so it hasn’t been a total loss…